Pink-Haired Desperation
by YukiHakuryu
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia has a problem. Her father, an abusive alcoholic, went over the edge and attacked her. Now the only choice she has is to escape, and go as far away as possible from home. Her only chance of getting away just happens to have pink, spiky hair, a flying blue cat, and one bad temper. A NaLu fanfic. Rated T for Cussing and Gore; Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail
1. The Mansion

_**The Mansion**_

'Creak'

 _Crap! I meant to avoid that stupid creaky floorboard!_ Lucy thought to herself. _One little sound, will wake Dad up and I'll be in so much trouble!_ She glanced towards his door. _I just need to go out of the house and clear my head._ She rubbed her arm. _Man, It still hurts...Why did he have to use a belt this time? He usually just likes to abuse me with his fists instead._

She tip-toed to the end of the hallway and then proceeded to the stairs.

 _Ever since mom died, He acts like this. Does he take his anger out on me because I'm just 'Available'? Well, I mean, Mom was the only one who could put a stop to his anger... But, even so, he needs to move on; She's been gone for three years. All he's doing is getting worse and worse, so it's only a matter of time before he snaps completely._

Lucy then gently stepped onto the bottom step, and went down the hallway to the door.

 _What if he goes into psycho-dad and hurts me even worse? I can't just sit by and wait for that to happen!_

She approached the front door with caution, looking left and right for signs of her Father being awake.

 _I guess I have no choice but to leave. I mean, what does he expect me to do? Wait until he decides to murder me? No. Enough is enough. I need to leave this Hell-Hole, and i need to do it now._

Lucy unlocked the front door slowly, turning the key in a way that it would not make a clicking noise. She's practiced this method so much that it became flesh memory. _Turn the key an inch to the right, jiggle up twice, down three times, and twist the rest of the way._ The door opened without a single creak, and she slipped out into the darkness.

Lucy stood out in the gleaming moon-light, and felt a slight breeze tickle her skin. "Ahhhhh. Finally; I can think straight now." She said to herself. "This'll be a cinch. I have a ton of money, food, and clothes that I can steal. All I really need is a plan. Oh, and a map of Fiore."

She walked into a nearby convenience store and began to browse the items on the shelves.

"Well, Tomorrow I guess I can say goodbye to my shitty Dad, and say hello to a new life away from this damned place."

Lucy bought a map, some blonde hair dye, and some chocolate and left the small store, walking towards the main shopping mall.

Confused? Don't be. Lucy has a very good reason for wanting to escape her 'Shitty Dad' (in her words). Lucy's Father, Jude Heartfilia, has, well, A LOT of problems. For starters, he is a power- hungry fiend who strives to run lesser companies right into the ground. He has a huge drinking problem and has extreme blackouts after his late night booze-athons. Usually during these blackouts, he tries to make his daughter 'a punching bag', often 'hitting' her verbally and physically. But don't for a second think that Lucy can't deal with him. She has ever since her Mom died. When he starts drinking, she has a habit of silently locking his door so he can't get out of his office, and, (for good measures) keeps a small concealed knife on her just in case he does. Now, back to Lucy.

Lucy turned a corner onto the main street full of towns-people, mainly couples and families, no doubt having fun; like going to see a movie or something. _Why can't my family be like that?_ Lucy Thought. _But, That'll never happen. Not with him; He's just too far gone..._ She walked for a couple of blocks, and walked up to the door to the local magic shop called "Magicalooza". She went inside and stalked the aisles until she found a very interesting item. This made her think about her plan, which with this; would work without fail.

She picked up the item and made her way up to the cash register, then put the little green vial on the counter. "How much does this cost?" She asked the manager.

He picked up the bottle and examined it closely. "What does a young-lady like you need 'Magical Midnight Snooze' for? Having trouble sleeping?"

Lucy smirked and made a white lie. "It isn't for me. My Father told me to pick up his sleeping medicine for tomorrow night. Since there is going to be a huge storm, he needs something to help him sleep through all of the noise. He's a very light sleeper."

The gentleman nodded, obviously too tired to continue the conversation any longer. "I heard it was going to get bad too. Oh, and it's 5,000 jewels for this." Lucy paid the money and started walking down the street again; carrying multiple bags.

"Oh, he'll sleep like a baby during the storm all right." Lucy smirked to herself. "I'll make sure of it."


	2. The Storm

_**The Storm**_

"Oh. God!" Lucy was being squeezed to death by one of her formal dresses. Tonight was a big dinner party, so her father told her to wear 'the dress'. It's basically a huge, poufy pink gown with way too much beading and lace. But it's so tight, it makes it hard for her to breathe. "Is it just me," she struggled, "or does this dress seem to have gotten smaller since the last time?" A certain blue-haired-swimsuit-wearing woman spoke back. "No, it's the same size. I think maybe you just got fatter."

Lucy turned to her. "Aquarius! What do I have to do to earn your freaking respect?!" Aquarius glared at her. "Tch. Let me spend more time with my boyfriend and less time dress-fitting. I'm not a slave." Lucy ignored her comment and looked into the mirror. "Man, it's so freaking tight that it' suffocating my boobs! Maybe the reason I have to wear this is some weird dinner-date thing with one of Dad's business associate's son or something. With this dress all the guy will be able to do is stare and drool; maybe get a nosebleed or two." She turned toward Aquarius. "As if. You're not even as attractive as me." With that last cruel sentence, Aquarius left a dumbfounded Lucy in the dust and closed her gate. "Hey! I didn't say you could leave just yet!"

()()()()()()()

"Man, that dinner was a bust. All the guy would do is stare at me with his perverted eyes. And he was like, twice my age! Man, my father has problems if he wants me to marry HIM!" She pulled out all of the supplies and clothes she bought the other night and began to pack for the journey. "Well, I guess I should go over the plan for tonight and get ready to leave. Finally, I can get out of this torture chamber once and for-"

'Bang' the door was slammed open and in stepped a very drunk, very angry Jude Heartfilia.

"Lucy!" He wobbled. "What do you think you're…doing?!" He straggled over to Lucy. "I told you to…umm…er, tuck me in for bed. You remember?"

Lucy had a look of utter shock on her face, but decided to go along with his 'drunken madness' to avoid his abusive side. "Oh, yeah, right. Uhh, I'll be there in a minute Dad." She stared down at the Magicalooza bag on her bed. "I'll be at your room in a minute with some warm milk. Can you find your way upstairs all right?"

Jude stared at her, a look of disgust on his face. "Since when did you go blonde?" Lucy just remembered, she had just dyed her hair not even ten minutes ago, preparing to leave the house.

"Oh, umm, I had one of the maids run to the store to get it for me; thought I'd try something new." She gulped. _Please don't say anything..._

Jude hiccupped, took a big swig from his flask, and continued to talk. "It makes you look like a -hiccup- ….a umm…s-slut." He sputtered. "Change it back tomorrow. I'm gonna -hiccup- go to bed now. You're offer for milk still standing?"

Lucy sighed with relief. "Yes Father. I'll be up in a minute." This was all too perfect. Two little drops from the vial and he's out cold. This was too easy.

"Okay." Jude spoke suddenly. "Upstairs; right. Wait, what's 'upstairs'?"

()()()()()()()

 _ **Magical Midnight Snooze**_

The steam from the milk was killer. It wafted into her nose, welcoming her to take a sip. But, she knew better. Two drops of the 'Magical Midnight Snooze' were put into the milk, making the steam a light green color. The warm milk, the vial said, would make even the strongest of men fall asleep within seconds. All Lucy had to do was not drink the stuff, and she'd be perfectly fine.

Her dad, on the other hand, would be drinking the entirety of the glass, essentially knocking him out long enough for her to leave the mansion. She carefully walked up the stairs, careful not to spill the white liquid, and made her way to her Father's bedroom door. _This is it,_ Lucy thought, _this is my only chance to get away from him, I can't screw it up._ She put her hand on the handle. _Well, here goes nothing._ Lucy turned the knob, opened to door, and stepped into the room.

"Well, if it isn't my daughter Lucy." Jude smiled evilly. "Time to teach you to try and leave me; my property." Jude then walked to the door, locked it, and faced his daughter. "You're in for it now, blondie."

()()()()()()()


	3. Meanwhile

_**Meanwhile…**_

"Do you even know where you're going?! I'm starving and I don't smell any restaurants nearby! Just where are we?" The pink-haired speaker turned to a small figure on the ground. "Geeze Natsu! Give me a break! I'm hungry too and my aera ran out already! Plus, I think this is the way back…"

"Think!?" Natsu said suddenly. "I thought you knew your way back, Happy! Great; now we're lost in the middle of nowhere, hungry, and out of magic power!" Natsu shouted in frustration. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but…I WISH I WAS IN A FREAKING CARRIAGE NOW! WHO'S IDEA WAS IT TO WALK TO HARGEON, ANYWAYS?!"

Happy glared at him. "Yours." He said sarcastically. Natsu ignored that comment, and carried on.

"Well…whatever. Let's just see if we can find a lake so we can fish for our lunch, or something. Sound good?"

'GRRRRRR!' Went Happy's stomach. "Aye, Sir!"

Natsu looked around the forest. "Come here Happy, I wanna try something. It might make finding a lake easier."

Natsu and Happy are traveling back to the guild after catching some bandits in Hargeon. During the fight, Natsu used up all of his magic power and had to beat them up with his fists instead. They got the job done and picked up the reward. Of course, Natsu didn't want to ride a train back, so he came up with the bright idea of walking back. Unfortunately, they ran out of food a while ago, and were struggling to find some. Then Happy had the brilliant idea of flying back the rest of the way, so they did; until he ran out of magic power too. Not the brightest, those two.

"Wait, what are you doing?!" Happy shouted. Natsu scooped him up, and was about to toss him.

"I'm gonna throw you up into the air to see if you could spot anything; Why?" Natsu then proceeded to throw him up into the atmosphere.

"WWWHHHAAAAAAAAA!" Happy was tossed up about fifty feet and was frantically flailing him limbs around. "WHAT ABOUT ME FALLING!?" he shouted.

Natsu scratched his head. "Well, I didn't think about that…"

"I'M DEAD! THIS IS ME DYING!"

Natsu thought for a second, then proceeded to run underneath his friend. Right when he was about to hit the ground, Natsu grabbed his tail to stop his downward fall. Happy's face was about a centimeter from the ground.

"wghgafhhga…." Happy shuddered, he had a look of extreme terror on his face. "…..why me?..."

Natsu looked down. "Because you wouldn't be able to throw me. Now, just point out the way to the nearest lake, if you would."

Happy raised a shaky finger and pointed to the west.

"There; see? Now we can eat!"

Happy gave him a look of complete disgust. "I will KILL YOU!"

"Whoah, Happy?! What are you doing?"

"YOU"RE DEAD!"

"Geeze, you're pissed!" Natsu said, frightened of his friend. "I'm just gonna…go that way…." And Natsu ran, leaving a trail of dust behind him.

"WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU; YOU'LL BE SORRY!" Happy soon disappeared through the trees after his best friend, an evil look on his face. "YOU OWE ME A TON OF FISH!"

()()()()()()()

"WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!" Lucy shouted. "I HAVE DONE NOTHING TO DESERVE TH- MMMMMMM!"

Jude put a piece of duct-tape over her mouth. "SHUT YOUR TRAP! I'm tired of going easy on you! YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY FROM ME!" He had already tied Lucy's hands up with a belt, and she was currently hanging from the bedframe facing the door. "I CAN'T JUST SIT HERE AND LET YOU LEAVE!" He shouted, drunk. "Now, it's about time I showed you that you belong TO ME!" He then whipped out a small pocket knife. "MmmmmMMMmmmM!" Lucy tried to move, but her father now held her down. "What's the matter? Are you scared of me? Because you should be." He put the blade onto the skin on her right hand. He dug the blade in a little; just enough for blood to ooze out. "THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LEAVE!"

"MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!" Lucy was fighting him, but to no use. He was simply too strong for her. Jude Started etching a letter 'J' into her skin; watching her face the entire time as he did so. Seeing her pain drove him even further into what he was doing. "MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!" The pain was too much for Lucy to bear. The blood from the open wound was dripping down her arm, and onto her face.

The 'J' was finished, so Jude took a break of torture and put his hand under Lucy's chin, lifting her face up so they were eye-to-eye. "Heh. You're so helpless. Oh, and what's this?" He wiped a bit of the blood from her forehead with his thumb, and then stuck it in his mouth. "Mmmmm… who knew it was sooo yummy?" He gave her a pervy look, then started to lick at the blood on her face. "MMMmmmmMMmmmMmMm!" Lucy protested. Jude stopped. He drew back and looked at her blood-smeared face. "Oh, what was that? Did you just say 'I want another letter?" Lucy started shaking her head frantically.

"Yes? Oh; then I can oblige." He picked up the pocket knife and then started to carve a letter 'H'. Lucy started to scream again. Blood trickled down onto her eyes, now, causing her vision to go red. Her vision was swirling now. And the blood was making it hard to breathe. Is this how she would die? Being tortured, and then bleeding to death from her father?

Jude looked down at her blood-soaked daughter. "Lucky for you, I'm done branding you now." He looked at the bloody letters 'J.H.' on Lucy's hand. "YOU'RE MY PROPERTY!" He shouted in her face. Then looked around the room and spotted a small glass.

"Ahhhhh… This sure is hard work! I think I'll enjoy that glass of milk, now. But none for you. If you're thirsty, then you'll just have to drink your own blood." Lucy looked at his stupid face. She was sitting in a small puddle of blood on the floor, now, which had started to turn cold. This sent a chill up her spine.

Jude then proceeded to take a drink. "You know, I knew about this ever since last night. My friend, a worker at Magicalooza, told me about a 'special visitor' that went to his store. He said it was a brown haired teen with a hoodie and jeans on. Said she 'bought a special potion for her father'. What he didn't know, was that he gave me just the information I needed to understand your plan." He walked up to her. "Where is it?" He pulled the duct-tape off of her mouth. "The potion, where is it?!"

She smirked at the floor. "Down the hatch." He quizzically looked at her, then realizing, looked down in his hand at the empty milk glass in terror. "Why you BITCH!" He threw the glass at her, hitting her ribs and shattering. "AHHHHHH!" The glass shards flew everywhere, mostly hitting Lucy, and tearing up her shirt.

"HOW DARE YOu…do that…to ….…me?" He fell onto his hands and knees, right at Lucy's feet. "I…will…..find….you. You…..are…..mine…" And he fell over onto his side, his knife falling on the floor beside him.

()()()()()()()


	4. Help!

_**Help!**_

"You still mad at me?!" Natsu asked; frustrated. He and Happy were sitting at the pond, each holding a make-shift fishing rod. They made them from sticks, and spare fishing line Happy kept in his backpack.

"Yup. Two fish won't do it for me. At least five, and your sins will be forgiven." He said, not even looking at Natsu. "Just don't get any more crazy-stupid ideas. EVER. Got it?"

Natsu made a silly face and turned towards the small blue cat. "Aye Sir!"

Happy playfully punched him in the arm. "That's my line!" Happy smiled, but then realized he was still mad and turned back to his fishing pole.

"Hey, Happy. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just thrown you without even thinking it through. I don't like it when Happy is Mad." Natsu smiled at his pun. Happy looked at him.

"I know you're sorry. It's just the fact that I'm hungry, grumpy, and the fact that I got tossed 50 feet into the air that pisses me off."

Natsu smiled at his remark, and then he got a huge tug on his line. "Whoah! I got one!" He pulled in the line, and discovered that it wasn't just one fish, but two on the hook at once! He looked at Happy. "How about four? Will that do?" Happy smiled:

"Aye Sir!"

A Gentle, but subtle breeze swept over the pond, and over the two friends. This breeze caused Natsu to freeze, and a worried expression soon swept over his face.

"Do you smell that?" He sniffed the air again. Happy looked at him. "Fhe onfee fing I can fmell are my f-fish." He said with a mouthful of carp. Natsu stood up and looked over the horizon where the breeze came from. A frightened tone came over his voice. "Happy; I can smell blood."

()()()()()()()

Lucy was still hanging from the bedpost. Her father was passed out on the floor in front of her still, his knife inches from his hand on the floor beside him. She has been struggling for the past hour to retrieve the knife, but became weaker and weaker from the blood-loss. _Shit._ Lucy Thought. _What do I do now? The knife is my only scape-goat and I can't quite reach it. And when I think I get close, I'm actually as far away from it as I can be. God, why does my vision have to be swirling now?_

I know what you're thinking. 'Where are the maids and shit?!' Well, none of the maids are available at the time. When Lucy's father started the torture, it was around 5:00 pm. All of the maids are sent home at around 4:30 pm. Damn, Lucy's father is still smart when he's drunk. Well, back to Lucy.

"Shit." Lucy said aloud to herself. "I can't feel my hands anymore." As she pointlessly struggles for the knife, the 'J.H.' Mark oozes out more blood as she moves. This has been going on for an hour, so she doesn't have very much time left.

 _Come on Lucy. You can do this. You're not helpless. You can do this. Use the spinning to your advantage. To get the knife, just go the opposite direction than what you can see._

If she would've thought about this earlier, she could've had a chance. But alas, she is starting to go unconscious. If she does, the only thing she could do is die.

 _Come on Lucy…Stay awake…You're so…close…I can…I can…feel it…with my foot…it's there…wait…the knife's moving…what's going on…I can't see, but…I'm moving…... someone's carrying me…but who…no one's here…I…I'm…going to sleep…now….._

()()()()()()()

Lucy's eyes opened. Her vision was still blurry, but she could barely make out stars. _What am I doing outside?_ She thought groggily. _And what happened?_ Her eyes forcefully closed shut again. Right after they did she heard a voice to her right:

"Man, I only got in one bite of carp…Can we go back to fishing?! I'm still hungry."

"You're always hungry. Plus, we can't just leave her alone. And you know our rule."

"'No wandering out at night by yourself' I know. It's just…man, that carp was yummy…"

 _Shit. Shit. Shit! How did I get out of the mansion? Who are these people? Are they going to hurt me? Well, the second voice sounds like he's worried. About me? Well…I guess I could try to get up now and talk to them…maybe they can answer my questions. But, I probably should wait and listen to see if these guys are all right….._

"Hey, Happy. Pass me the water canteen. I'm going to get her to drink something. Maybe that'll get her strength up. Oh, and grab the bandages. Her's need a change."

"Aye, Sir!"

 _Wait, they're caring for me? Well, I guess they could be nice…_

She felt a gentle hand slip under her head and carefully pick it up; then gently slip something underneath it. A canteen was put to her lips and water soon filled her mouth. She swallowed as the liquid flowed into it. _Man, I was thirsty._ She thought to herself.

"Oy! Happy! She's drinking! I think she may be awake, but is unable to open her eyes!" He shouted. He then lowered his voice to a whisper, and continued. "If you can hear me, it's okay. We won't hurt you. I promise. But, keep drinking. You lost a lot of blood back there, so….I kinda gave you some of mine. I couldn't just let you die. And you need your strength."

 _Wait, he's a complete stranger, but gave me his own blood because he couldn't let me die. Wow….Wait, I almost died?! Well, I guess I have these guys to thank for still being alive. If only I could move, let him know that I heard him…_

"Here Natsu. We didn't have any bandages…So use my backpack. It is just a cloth after all."

"Thanks Happy. I'll buy you a new one as soon as we get back to Magnolia." He unwrapped the bandage. "H-h-happy, look at this." He said, sounding concerned.

Small footsteps moved closer to her right hand.

"J.H., I wonder what that means. Well, we'll figure it out later! Just hurry up and change the bandages before she bleeds out again, Natsu!"

"H-Hai..." Natsu replied. (Hai means yes/right in Japanese)

 _I hope these guys know what they're doing. From the sound of things, it sounds like they've done this before though…..Well, I guess I have no choice but to trust them. I wouldn't be able to say so otherwise….. Man, I'm exhausted. I guess I should get some sleep…..Goodnight Happy; Natsu…..Thanks…._

A small "You're welcome." Was whispered softly into her ear, and Lucy fell asleep.

()()()()()()()


	5. The Day I Met Natsu

_**The Day I Met Natsu**_

"…..adsflgrd…." Lucy moaned; she ached all over. She slowly opened her eyes, and was met with a beautiful blue sky, It seemed to be morning. She laid there for a while, just staring at the clouds, trying not to think of the pain in her right hand, or the achiness of her body. But there was no avoiding it. Man; she felt like Shit.

"….SSSCCAHHH!...SSCCCCAAAGGGCCHH!" _Someone seems to be snoring…. Figures._

Lucy wondered. _How long was I asleep? Might have been a few days, a week at the most. And these guys are still caring for me? I mean, we're complete strangers._ Lucy rubbed the pain in her hand. _It feels a lot better than it did before, though._

She moved her eyes to a nearby tree, looking at its green leaves. The light was hitting the tree just right, making the sunlight shine through them. It was beautiful. Lucy smiled; although, the smile probably just made her look like she was in pain.

But, realization swept over her, and her smile soon faded.

 _ **"I…will…..find….you. You…..are…..mine…"**_

 _Those words…. his face…..the blood…the belt…..the knife…the pain…..Make it stop…MAKE IT STOP!_

Lucy quickly got to her feet; only to fall back onto her knees. She was staring at the ground intensely. _I need to get as far away from that monster as I possibly can! I need to move, but I can't._

Lucy looked at her hands. One of them was scared with a 'J.H.', no doubt meaning 'Jude Heartfilia'. This scar would only be a reminder; of the pain; the suffering; and the relentless torture that he put her through.

 _But why? Why would he do such a thing to me? Torture me? Brand me? Strip me down of my pride…I feel…..broken inside….._

Fresh tears stained the dirt on the ground; and Lucy let them fall. She had been through a lot, so a few tears were necessary, otherwise; she would probably go insane from what she's been through.

A gentle hand caressed her back. She stopped crying, in shock, then looked up at her comforter. It was a guy, probably around her age. He had pink spiky hair, a scaly scarf, and a worried expression on his face. He said nothing; but he kept his hand on her back.

And let her cry.

"It's okay. I won't let that little shit touch you. When you slept, me and my friend Happy carried you and your stuff far away from that house. You're safe now. I promise."

He then allowed Lucy to slip into his arms; which she did. Lucy looked up at the stranger. "I'm…..," Lucy said through the sobbing, "…My name…..it's Lucy…."

He smiled down at her. "Hi, Lucy; I'm Natsu." He whispered.

And the two of them sat in silence as she cried.

()()()()()()()

Jude's vision was blurry.

He was really tired, because he probably drank 'till he dropped. Again.

He was cold, and his throat was dry. He sat up and looked at the scene before him. He suddenly realized what he was looking at, and terror filled his eyes.

It was blood; definitely blood. And a lot of it. The bed was covered in the crimson, so was the floor, and shards of shattered glass. But whose was it?

He sat up, and realized that his pocket knife was also drenched with the stuff.

 _Damn, did I kill someone?! I don't remember a thing!"_ He looked closer at the bed, and saw a lock of blood-stained, blonde hair.

Realization soon swept over his face, and he jumped up to his feet.

He started running to the door, and on the way there, passed his mirrored wardrobe. He glanced at it, took a step, and then, did a double take at his appearance.

 _SHIT!_

He grabbed the edge of the wardrobe, and stared at himself in the dusty mirror. His face, was red with blood. But was it his own? That was highly unlikely. And his white business shirt was stained with it too.

"Oh, no." He said to himself. "What have I done?! Lucy; where's Lucy?!" He ran out his door, only to find a drop of blood at his feet. He followed the blood with his eyes, only to realize that there was a trail of it.

Jude followed the trail up the stairs, down the hallway, and into a room; Lucy's room.

The stuff that was on her bed the night before, was gone. The clothes, map, money; everything, The blood trail circled around the bed for a while, jude knew she was gathering her stuff.

Then, the trail ended out the window.

Jude fell to his knees. There's no way she would survive on her own, half-bleeding to death, in the middle of the forest. The nearby hospital being miles away.

Jude looked down at his bloody hands in disgust.

He had just murdered his daughter.

()()()()()()()


	6. The Runaway

_**The Runaway**_

"Ugh, here we go." Natsu grunted. He had just picked up Lucy, and had Happy help put her on his back. Earlier, they packed up camp, and are now getting ready to move on, making their way back to the guild hall.

Lucy, still in pain and unable to walk, did not protest against the free piggy-back ride. She was still pale, because even now, she was losing blood; Very slowly, but surely. Natsu and Happy were trying to hurry back to magnolia so they could get her to a hospital as soon as they could.

"Happy, Where are we now?" Natsu spoke, this time, a little less strained.

Happy, who was currently flying above the two, flew down and landed by Natsu's legs. "Not far, maybe an hour or two walking distance. We're nearing the entrance to the East Woods."

Natsu glanced at the long dirt trail with a concerned expression. "At this rate, we won't make it…" Natsu said quietly.

Happy looked up at him, realizing the position they're in. "Do her bandages need a change?" He asked. "Maybe if we replace them, the blood flow will stop a bit more."

Natsu looked down, a feeling of relief washed over him. "Right, let's do that!" He said. "Maybe That'll do the trick!"

Happy dug through their travel backpack, pulled out the first aid kit, and peeked inside. He looked up with a sad expression. "Oh, we're out of bandages… I guess we already used all of them…What now?"

Natsu looked at their possessions. He realized a solution, but it involved losing something precious to him… But it would have to be done in order to save Lucy…

"I have something that we can use. Let's set her down and wash out the wound." Natsu took off his scarf, and looked down at the battered thing. Yes, it was from Igneel, but right now; it was the only thing that could save Lucy.

Happy handed the container of water to Natsu. "Here. But you should give her something to bite down on, cause it might be painful for her." Natsu nodded, then carefully placed a corner of the scarf into Lucy's mouth. Lucy weakly bit down on it, getting ready for what was coming.

Natsu unwrapped the backpack bandage and looked at the wound. _Not good._ Natsu Thought. _It's turning black…We need to get her back, Now._

He opened the flask, and poured the liquid onto the wound. Lucy screamed, and bit down on the scarf hard. She started to fight him, to make the pain cease, but Happy was holding her down with his tail. "Lucy…" He whispered. Lucy had started to sweat, and was losing energy fast. "Natsu! STOP WITH THE WATER!"

Natsu looked down at Lucy, a look of terror came over him once he realized her pain. "Oh, Shit, too much….shit…." He closed the water, and Lucy immediately stopped struggling. Natsu then took his scarf out of her mouth, and wrapped up the wound with it. Lucy was even more pale and sweaty after the cleaning of her wound. She was running out of time. And Natsu knew it too.

Natsu turned to Happy. "We need to get her back, and we need to do it NOW!"

()()()()()()()

Jude walked out of the front door. His eyes were red, and he was no longer covered in blood. He carried a bottle of sake (Japanese booze) in one hand and took a swig every once in a while. He walked into the entrance of the woods, trying not to think about the current state of his room; and what happened there.

But he thought about it anyway.

 _I'm a monster. Lucy deserved better than me. Seventeen years, and all I have done is neglect her, and treat her like shit. But now…she's gone. There's no denying it. She's gone, and I'm the one who killed her. I don't even know if I deserve the title of 'Father' anymore…_

He accidentally let a tear slip out, but soon wiped it away when it fell. He would not cry, but own up to his crimes of murdering his little girl. Right now, he was going out to search for the body; and it scared him to see what he did to her that would have made her loose that much blood. "Don't worry Lucy. I'm coming. And I'm going to make things right."

Obviously, Jude does not know of his daughter's current position. Little did he realize, but Natsu and Happy are caring for her at the moment. He has his mind made up that she had died due to his own hands.

"My daughter, Lucy Heartfilia; Dead. And it's all my fault." He whispered, looking at the blue sky.

()()()()()()()

Happy looked at Natsu skeptically. "Are you sure that this is going to work?!"

Natsu, unaware that Happy said anything, was drawing a diagram of his plan in the dirt with a stick. "…..and then, we just loop around, and WHAM!" He hit the dirt with the stick. "We're in Magnolia!"

Happy looked from Lucy, to Natsu. "Okay, here's what I think of your plan." He walked over to the diagram, stepped right on it , and erased it with his foot. Natsu filled with rage.

"Happy! You stepped right onto the Minotaur battle! That part of the plan took a long time to draw!" Flames engulfed Natsu's head. Happy scowled. "Natsu, I'm pretty sure we aren't gonna have to fight the Minotaur; or ninjas; or have to steal any treasure of any sort." Happy then took the stick from Natsu.

"Aww…that was my stick…." Natsu pouted.

"All right, here's the plan." Happy drew a picture in the dirt. "So this is you, this is me, and this is Lucy." He drew all three of them. "You'll have Lucy on your back, while I'm holding onto her with my tail from above, I'll have my aera on. You'll project flames from your feet as a rocket-booster and WHOOSH! We fly all the way back to magnolia within 30 minutes."

Natsu glared at the dirt. _I don't want to admit it, but that might work. But man, I was hoping for some ninjas or something cool._

"Well?!" Happy asked.

"Fine." Natsu glowered. "But my drawing gets more points for awesomeness! Your picture is lame."

Happy's eye twitched. "Let's just get going…Before I beat the crap out of you."

Natsu smirked. "Aye Sir!"

"SHUT UP! I ALREADY SAID THAT'S MY LINE!"

()()()()()()()


	7. An Icy Surprise

_**An Icy Surprise**_

"Man that was a nice Bath House visit. Am I right?!" The black-haired speaker looked down at his arm. Well, not AT his arm, but the thing desperately latched onto it.

"You're right Gray-sama. Juvia has never felt so relaxed! Juvia is even happier about going to it with you, Gray-sama." Juvia said, currently cuddling his bicep.

Juvia and Gray are more wizards from Fairy Tail, the guild that Natsu and Happy belong to. They are walking back from a visit to the Fairy Tail Bath house. But, little did they know that they were about to be crucial assets in saving someone's life.

"Well, I'm flattered really. But, hey, get off my arm please. I can't feel it anymore because of you." Gray pulled his arm away from her.

"Awww, Gray-sama! Can't Juvia hold onto it a little longer?!" She asked pleadingly.

Gray sighed, and looked her in the eye. "Look, you're nice and everything, but I'm not interested in a relationship. I don't do flowers and chocolate. If anything, you're more like a close friend, really."

Juvia's bottom lip started quivering. "But, Gray-sama. I thought….you and Juvia had something…"

Gray looked up into the sky. Hoping to avoid the water wizard's gaze. Only, he didn't just see the blue sky; as he was expecting. Instead he saw something bright; and it was plummeting towards the guild hall with incredible speed. This caused a look of shock to envelope his face.

"Juvia, what is that thing?!"

She looked into the sky. "Looks like a giant fireball, but Juvia can't be sure." She then got into her fight stance and looked toward her crush. "Goggles; Gray-sama." She told the ice wizard.

"Right." He turned toward the fireball. "Ice Make; Goggles!" A pair of ice binoculars appeared in his hand. He gave them to Juvia. "Lenses, please."

Juvia summoned two spheres water from deep within the Earth, and fashioned them into thin disks. She then placed them into the binoculars.

Gray held the binoculars up to his eyes, and took a look at the surprise object.

"Holy Shit!" He yelled. "We need to get back to the guild hall; now!"

He handed the binoculars to Juvia.

She peeked into them and saw Natsu and Happy flying in a big ball of fire, only they weren't alone. On Natsu's back, there was a girl with blonde hair that seemed to be in a lot of pain.

She looked at Gray's worried face, then looked back into the binoculars at the girl.

"Love Rival!" She shouted, her eyes filled with rage.

()()()()()()()

"Happy! You okay?!" Natsu shouted over the loud fire at his friend. "How much longer can you hold out?!" He asked, looking up at his friend. Happy seemed to be in a lot of pain from the overuse of his aera. Every once in a while, he would peer down at Lucy to pump himself right up; seeing her still in pain gave him enough strength to continue flying on; for her. He looked down at Natsu, determination on his face.

"Aye Sir! I say I can hold on for about ten minutes! But we're almost there, so I can stop in about five!" He yelled back. "What about you!?" Natsu grinned at his friend's response.

"Only ten?! I say I could hold out for another hour or two!?" Natsu shouted up to him. Although, his comment was cut short because an edge of his scarf (Currently tied on Lucy's hand) hit him in the face. As he choked on the blood-soaked scarf; his flames suddenly died.

"NNNNNAAAAATTTTTSSSSUUUUU!" Happy screamed. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy had started to free-fall towards the earth. Lucy unable to move, fell through the air beside Natsu. He glanced at her, and saw his scarf, now red with blood, fly off of Lucy's hand and float away from them. He took one last look at his childhood memory as it flew away from them in the breeze. _Goodbye; friend._ Natsu spoke with his mind.

Returning to reality, he quickly glanced at Happy. The blue cat had his aera back on, and was diving towards them. But clearly, was too far away to reach them. Happy wouldn't make it in time. Natsu glanced at the blonde, a few feet away from him. Her blood, coming from her right hand, was drifting in every direction around her.

He knew what he had to do.

"LUCY!" He shouted. She was still falling, unconscious beside him. Natsu used his last bit of his strength and magic power to boost him in that direction. A small jet of fire protruded from his feet, and was just enough power to propel him towards the girl. He scooped up the limp blonde in his arms.

"I got you now." He whispered into her ear. "I promised I would keep you safe. And if that means taking the fall for you; I will live up to that promise." He then positioned himself between the ground and Lucy. The girl opened her eyes, wide with fear and shock, and looked into his. "Na…tsu…" She spoke, soft and strained. The pink haired teen hugged her ; preparing for the worst to happen. He looked over Lucy's shoulder, and into the sky at his best friend. Happy was trying desperately to reach the pair, his eyes welling up with tears.

"NNNNNAAAAATTTTTSSSSSUUUUU!" Happy cried. His best friend stared back at him. Natsu fashioned his hand into a certain symbol, and held it in the air, pointing it towards him.

"Even if I can't see you, I'm looking your way." He spoke, the meaningful hand gesture above him. "Always."

The pair were now nearing the ground. Natsu closed his eyes; preparing to hit the ground. _This is it._ He took a deep breath. _I'm ready to die._

Then, everything went black.

()()()()()()()


	8. Rain

_**Rain**_

Jude looked into the sky. It had started to rain, drenching the man in his desperate search for his daughter. It didn't matter, though; he was still searching for her, and wouldn't stop until he had succeeded in doing so.

Plus, the rain covered up his tears.

Jude wandered over a hill. The trees were getting scarcer and scarcer as he struggled over it. A while back, he had finished the entire sake bottle, and it was making the search prove even more difficult. Just another bad decision he made.

He soon found himself on a long dirt road. _Knowing her,_ he thought to himself, _she mightv'e found this road and started following it to get away from me. I don't know where this leads to, but it's probably the closest thing I have to finding her._

Going with his gut feeling, he followed the small dirt road, travelling farther and farther away from the mansion with every step.

As he went, the rain poured down harder and harder; falling in sheets over his now drenched clothes. He lost track of time as he followed this long trek of dirt; now turning to mud due to the downpour. The rain was dampening Jude's spirits. He thought he would never find her.

Until he spotted it.

A bandage.

()()()()()()()

Natsu opened his eyes. Lucy was still in his arms, thank goodness. But, where were they? And why couldn't Natsu breathe?

He took a closer look around him. _Wait._ He Thought. _Is this…Water?!_

He walked, no, rather, swam towards the light shining through the substance. After a couple of minutes, he broke the surface.

He and Lucy fell to the ground, coughing up the water that they had breathed in by accident. Neither of them were prepared to appear in water, so they unintentionally sucked in a ton of the stuff.

"NATSU!"

A flying, blue bullet fell from the sky and into his arms. "I…..I Thought," He sniffled, "I THOUGHT YOU WERE GOING TO DIE!" He screamed. Happy then nuzzled deep into Natsu's chest and started to cry. Natsu looked down at his blue friend. (HAH! See what I did there?!)

"I thought I was too." He hugged his friend back. "Where did the water come from in the first place?!" He asked looking around the clearing. Natsu turned around, and spotted her.

Juvia was standing on the other side of the clearing in her fighting stance, sweat staining her face. And behind her, a really shocked looking…

"GRAY!" Natsu screamed. "YOU RUINED MY EPIC DEATH!" Natsu then started to run up to him. "YOU BASTARD! WHY DO YOU HAVE TO RUIN EVERYTHING I DO!?"

"Natsu, it was Juvia who- OOF!" Juvia grunted. Natsu had punched her in the stomach, causing her to fly several yards and land on her butt.

"GREAT JOB, NATSU! YOU JUST PUNCHED THE PERSON WHO SAVED YOUR SHITTY ASS!" Gray hollered. Natsu stopped, mid-punch, inches from Gray's face.

"Wait," realization swept over Natsu, "It was Juvia?!" Natsu asked Gray. He nodded in return.

Natsu gulped, whipped around and met face-to-face with an angry, blue-haired hero. "Oh, h-hi-i Juvia…" Natsu spoke nervously, avoiding her death gaze.

"HOW DARE YOU PUNCH JUVIA!" She howled. "I WAS THE ONE WHO SAVED YOUR ASS, PYRO!"

Juvia then proceeded to kick Natsu where the sun doesn't shine (if you know what I mean). Natsu, who was currently keeling on the grass, looked up at Gray. "L-L-uc-y" He croaked out, then fainted in the grass.

"Geeze, you're pathetic." Gray remarked.

Juvia looked at the pink-haired lump on the ground. "Wait, who's Lucy?" Happy flew over to them, carrying the blonde-haired girl by her shirt.

"Guys! We have a problem here!" Happy shouted at them. He laid the girl on the grass by their feet. Her scar, now visible without the make-shift-scarf bandage, was completely black. Lucy, unable to open her eyes, was lying there, paler than ever, and having trouble breathing.

"Lucy…" Gray mumbled. He sat down by her side, and took her right hand into his. Juvia's eye twitched as he did so.

"Love Rival." She hissed.

Gray ignored the comment, and looked at the wound. " 'J.H', What's that supposed to mean?" He looked to happy for an answer.

"I don't know! Just please! Help her! She's dying god dammit!" Happy shouted, on the verge of tears.

Gray turned back to Lucy. He put his hand on top of hers, closed his eyes, and a blue aura soon filled the air under his palm. The aura stopped as soon as it started, and Gray moved his hand away, presenting an ice-bandage over top of her wound. "All right," Gray spoke sternly, "With this heat, that bandage will only last about twenty minutes. That should be enough time to get her back to the guild. Happy, grab Natsu. I've got the girl."

Gray's ice bandages have an unusual effect. When an ice bandage is applied to a wound, not only does it stop bleeding, but in turn, begins to heal the wound itself.

Happy looked down at Natsu, who was curled up in a ball of hurt on the ground. "Aye Sir!"

Juvia turned to Gray. "Juvia will help you carry her, Gray-sama!" Gray picked up Lucy and draped her over his back.

"Nah, I've got her. She weighs practically nothing." Gray replied. "Besides, apparently she's your 'Love Rival'. Why would you want to help her?" Gray asked sarcastically.

Happy giggled. "Love rival?! Her? Natsu told me he already has dibs." He then started bursting out laughing. "Look at his sorry ass!" The reason Happy was laughing so hard is because Natsu had begun talking in his sleep. "L-L-ucy. M-m-ust help Lucy." He whispered.

Gray started to chuckle too. "Man, that guy's a piece of work."

Happy started to laugh so hard, that he dropped Natsu onto the cement. He landed face first into the ground, and then stood up like nothing happened. "I wasn't asleep!" He busted out.

Happy was currently crying from his laughing fit. "Yup," He laughed, "definitely a piece of work!"

Natsu turned to Happy. "WHO YOU CALLING A PIECE OF WORK?!" He then butted heads with the cat.

"WHO DO YOU THINK, WEIRDO?!"

"WELL, IT BETTER NOT HAVE BEEN ME!"

Gray stopped in his tracks, which caused the two to ram into the back of him.

"HEY!WHAT"S THE BIG IDEA, ICE BREATH?!"

He turned. "CUT IT OUT YOU IDIOTS! LUCY NEEDS HELP AND YOU GUYS ARE PICKING FIGHTS!?" This caused Natsu to glance at him. Draped over his shoulder, Lucy was getting paler by the minute, and seemed to be fighting for her life.

"WELL WHAT ARE WE STANDIN' AROUND FOR?!" He shouted angrily. "LET'S GET BACK TO THE GUILD HALL ALREADY!" After his sudden outburst, Natsu grabbed Lucy off of Gray's shoulder, put her on his own, and then started running in the direction of the guild.

"OY! NATSU!" Gray called after him. "WAIT FOR US!"

Gray, Juvia, and Happy followed Natsu; who was, in turn, leaving them in the dust.

()()()()()()()


	9. Blonde, Blood, and Worried Faces

**Hey, Everyone! I'm soooo sorry for the really late update, today! Right now, I'm in the middle of a HUGE storm, and I lost internet connection. But, luckily, my computer saved my work before my power blinked, so I didn't have to start from scratch! A lot happens in this chapter! You meet some new characters, and, eventually, get to see everyone at the guild. :3 So, with that, I share with you:**

* * *

 _ **Blonde Hair, Bloody Bandages, and Worried Faces**_

Natsu began to sweat. _Man, I've got to get her back to the guild hall now…She's looking pretty rough._

Still running; Natsu glanced at the girl draped over his shoulder. Her right hand dangled right in his face, and he saw the remnants of Gray's ice bandage. It was nearly gone; for Natsu could see part of the gash start to poke out again.

"Don't worry, Luce," He said to the girl, "from here, we're only about a block away." He turned the corner on to the main street; only to trip over a big black-and-blue-haired blob.

"Hey piece of shit! Watch it! We're kind of on a date here!" The angry black-haired guy shouted. "Oh, it's just you; Salamander."

The small blue haired girl looked up, currently in the big hunk's arms. "Natsu! Who's that you're carrying?!" She asked, desperately wanting to know.

Natsu, shocked to see the two of them cuddling, stopped for a moment. Levy's piercing brown eyes pleaded with Natsu to answer her question. His look of shock soon turned to hostility. "Get out of my way! A life's at stake here! Levy, Gajeel; MOVE!" Natsu shoved the cuddling couple to the side, the two of them toppling over one another, and onto the cement.

Levy looked at the pink-haired blur as he ran by them. "Life at stake?!" She pointed her worried look at Gajeel, who was kneeling next to the girl, furious.

"When I get my hands on him…" He grumbled. He looked down at Levy, who was currently giving him a worried glance. He felt his anger melt, and offered a hand to the small girl. She took it, and he pulled her to her feet. "I know; let's go." Gajeel griped.

Levy gave him a small, approving nod, and they followed in pursuit after the sprinting Salamander.

()()()()()()()

Jude fell to his knees, crouching in the muddy path. He picked up the bandage, which was soaking in a muddy puddle to the side of the road. _Could this be…?_

It had fresh, red crimson soaked into it.

To the right of where he stood, there was a big tree, with cold, charred sticks surrounded by a ring of small rocks underneath it.

 _Is this…a camp of some sort? And this bandage, the blood, could it be…?_ He took a closer look at the bloody cloth. _The blood…It sort of spells something out…It looks like…_

Sure enough. The bandage had a bloody 'J.H' still stamped to it.

 _But…She should have died on her own…Wait. What's that?!_

Jude looked at a little mound of stuff right by the fire. There were two piles of little fish bones right by the embers.

 _Fish? But with her injuries…she wouldn't have been able to get those by herself…which means; someone else was with her!_ He sat by the old fire pit and tied the bloody bandage to his wrist.

 _She's alive…But someone took her._

He looked out at the path, sizing up his chances of finding his daughter.

"I will find you. And when I do,"

He dropped his gaze to the bandage.

"I'll kill the people who took you away from me."

And he sat in the rain, looking down at the little trace of his daughter tied to his wrist.

()()()()()()()

Back at the guild hall, the members of Fairy Tail were lounging around at the tables and drinking at the bar. It seemed to be a normal day, with everyone coming and going as they pleased.

Mirajane was tending to the bar, as she usually is. Cana, the guild's drunkie, was on her usual perch, sipping on a booze barrel. Elfman was found in the corner talking with Jet and Droy about 'what it takes to be a man'.

And, of course, the guild's mater, Makarov, was sitting in his familiar spot on the bar's counter; currently surveying the members around the guild hall. _Hmmmm…It's awfully quiet today._ Makarov thought to himself. _I wonder where Natsu and the others are. But, knowing them, they're probably on their way back from jobs. So, this peacefulness probably won't last for long…_

He glanced towards the front door. _Hm. Definitely not long. I'm going to see if I'm right about this. Let's see…_

He spun around to face Mirajane, who noticed his eagerness to talk to her. She smiled and walked over to him. "Hey, master. What do you need?" She asked politely.

Makarov turned and pointed towards the door. "You, dear, will be needed in...three…two…one…"

'BANG!'

"GRAMPS! MIRAJANE! I NEED YOUR HELP! SHE'S HURT AND IS DYING!" Natsu screamed. Everyone in the guild hall froze, mid-sentence, and stared at him in awe.

Lucy laid there, helpless, in Natsu's arms.

Makarov smiled to himself. _Works every time. heh heh.._

Mirajane was the first one to move. She rushed over to the out-of-breath Natsu, and began spouting out directions to everyone.

"Elfman, take the girl from Natsu. Lisanna; bandages. Wendy, I'll need your healing magic. Natsu, grab some water from the kitchen, and meet me in the treatment room in 4 minutes and thirty-seven seconds. Alzack, notify you-know-who that her presence is needed, and be back at the guild hall in twenty-five minutes and forty-two seconds." She spouted within ten seconds.

Those whose names were called, jumped up at a seconds notice, and began rushing around the guild hall like crazy, trying to complete the duties that the she-devil commanded them to do.

Mirajane, now in charge, directed Elfman and Wendy into the back room. Lucy was set down on a fresh cot, and would be tended to there.

Everyone else who were given directions were rushing around like mad-men, trying to get the jobs done that were maliciously fired at them. Alzack; who, of all of them, was given the hardest job. He dashed out of the door; knowing from past visits that the trek to 'Her' house was more than a thirty-minute walk; but, Mirajane thought he could do it in twenty-five minutes and forty-two seconds, apparently.

Natsu wandered his way back into the kitchen area. He grabbed a glass, and put some water in it. This gave him some time to think to himself. _I hope she's gonna be alright._ He peered out of the door at the chaos of people dashing here-and-there. _What am I saying?! Of course she'll be fine. I mean, the She-Devil herself is caring for her. Not to mention 'she' is coming._ He started to make his way back to the treatment room. _I want to be the first person she sees. She doesn't know any of these people, so if she sees me there, I can explain everything to her myself._

Natsu, currently walking down the hallway to give Mirajane the water, was joined by a tired-looking Happy, Gray, Juvia, Gajeel, and Levy. Happy was the first one to speak.

"Natsu! How's Lucy?!" He demanded. The others, satisfied with his question, stood in silence waiting for Natsu's reply.

All Natsu did was stare at them, dumbfounded. "Oh…umm…I don-"

"She will be fine." A kind voice piped up from deeper within the hallway. "Her wounds are infected, yes, but with the medicine we have here, she will make a full-recovery." Mirajane cooed, obviously happy with her work. She turned to Natsu and took the glass of water from him. "If you would have waited not even a minute longer, she wouldn't have made it. So, she's alive because of you; Natsu." She smiled at the pink-haired teen. "So I only think it's fair that Natsu is the first one she sees when she wakes up."

The group, plus Natsu, sighed with relief at the good news, and collapsed onto the floor; exhausted. Things were finally looking up for Lucy.

That was; before 'He' showed up.

()()()()()()()

* * *

 **Please, feel free to leave a comment! I read all of my comments, and enjoy hearing everyone's inputs on my story! :3 New update will be tomorrow!**

 **-Yuki**


	10. Recovery, or Ruin?

_**Recovery, or Ruin?**_

Flashes of memory played through Lucy's mind.

 _Belt…_

 _Bloody Knife…_

 _Dad's evil, perverted grin…_

 _Shards of Glass…_

 _Blood…_

 _Blood…_

 _Blood…_

 _Pain…_

 _No…No, Stop…_

 _STOP!_

 _Wake up…_

 _WAAAAAKKKEEE UUUPPP!_

Lucy opened her eyes, and let out a blood-curdling scream. She scrambled to sit up her bed, but fell to the floor, and returned to closing her eyes shut.

"GEET AWAAY! STOP! STOOOOOP!" Lucy yelled, in a daze.

She was cowering in a corner between the bed and a night stand; shielding her face with her hands, trying to avoid the knife, and trying not to look at that face…

"LUCY!" someone shouted.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Lucy screamed back. She then tried to desperately kick away her attacker; eyes closed tight in fear.

Someone tackled her to the floor, trying to hold her down as Lucy kicked and screamed.

"WAKE UP! IT'S ME! IT's me… open your eyes…" A soothing voice said. They had her completely held down, to the point where she was forced to stop fighting. She felt hot breath on her face. Whoever it was, they had their face inches from hers.

Lucy refused to open her eyes.

"P-p-ple-e-ase; s-s-top." She whimpered. She desperately pleaded with the person who was on top of her.

"D-d-don't hurt m-me anymore….p-ple-e-ase…" Tears welled up in her still-closed eyes.

"Lucy…" The voice whispered. "It's okay. Open your eyes. It's me…it's Natsu…please, open your eyes Lucy…Look at me…I'm not going to hurt you…I made you a promise, remember?" Hot air poured down on Lucy's face as she listened to him speak. He was so close to her, that their noses would rub together every once in a while as he spoke.

She slowly opened her eyes; and was met with a concerned Natsu, whose brown eyes were brimming with worry.

"N-natsu." She wept, tears still falling.

Natsu kept her pinned down on the floor for a while as the blonde calmed down; Natsu staring into her eyes, and Lucy into his.

After a while, Natsu realized the awkward position they were in, and his face turned beet red. "L-Lucy." He stuttered slowly. "I'm going to let you up now. You're not going to freak out again, are you?" He asked gently, not taking his eyes off of hers.

She nodded slowly, and Natsu sat up; letting the girl go. Lucy followed suit, and sat up beside him. She looked at Natsu. He had bags under his eyes, as if he hasn't slept for days. His hair was a complete mess, not in the cute way as it usually was; and there was a hint of drool under his mouth on his chin.

"Natsu…" She whispered again softly. Tears were welling up in her eyes again.

Natsu opened his arms, welcoming her like he did when they first met.

The tears fell, and Lucy jumped into Natsu's arms. He cradled her and held her while she bawled; wiping away the tears as they fell.

"I promise…" He whispered softly. "That I'll protect you with my life."

And the two of them sat there, Lucy in Natsu's arms, as she cried away the pain.

()()()()()()()

Jude looked down at the picture in his hands.

It was, of course, a picture of Lucy; his daughter. Whom he was desperately searching to find. He had somehow found his way to a neighboring town called Magnolia, and had been showing his picture from person-to-person as he strolled in the shopping center.

Every once in a while, he would turn towards a person and ask 'Have you seen my daughter anywhere?' while holding the picture up for them to see. Every time he was returned with a 'no' or 'sorry' or an 'I'll keep an eye out'.

But that's not what he wanted to hear in the least.

()()()()()()()

 _Stupid Love Rival._ Juvia thought. _Juvia should get Gray-sama; not some stupid blonde bitch._

Juvia was wandering through town, looking for a present that would win over her precious crush. She looked in every store, but in turn, found nothing that would work.

 _You're more of a close friend, really._

Those words were haunting Juvia's mind. She was glad to be friends with Gray-sama, yes. But she wanted to be MORE than friends; lovers, if you will. That's what led her to the market place, she was looking for something that she could get for Gray so she can tell him her feelings.

Poor, poor unsuspecting Juvia.

Of course she wanted to drive this Lucy chick into the ground for stealing her Gray-sama, but she didn't want to cause her pain.

()()()()()()()

Jude sat down on the edge of the town's fountain, still staring at the picture of his daughter. He had sat down here so he could think, and not be bothered by anyone.

 _It's time to face the facts._ He told himself. _She probably died and you missed her body somewhere back by home. She might've had a couple bandages, and patched herself up on her own; and had simply summoned Aquarius to fish for her; but there's no way she could have made it this far…_

A single tear fell upon the photo, right on Picture Lucy's face.

 _I will never find her…_

But then, a strong wind current swept up the picture, sending it flying out of Jude's hands and down the street.

()()()()()()()

"Oh, Gray-sama!" Juvia exclaimed. "Juvia found the perfect gift for you!"

Instead of looking through town for a gift, she decided to go back to the guild hall to look at the gift shop there; and she saw it. A poster of Juvia herself; sporting a beautiful bikini of course. She bought it for 5,000 jewel (Which seemed too cheap in her eyes) and had it wrapped in a bow so she could give it to him at the guild hall.

"Gray-sama!" She shouted gleefully. Gray, who was talking to Happy, froze in fear.

Juvia ran by his side. "Juvia got you something! Juvia picked it out herself, and wanted to give it to you, Gray–sama.!" She held out the bundle for him to take. Reluctantly, Gray took the bundle and opened it. He stared at it in shock.

A certain scream was heard in the background as he stared at the poster. (X,D *wipes away tear*)

"W-wow, J-Juvia, Th-a-nks. Mhm." He coughed out, not wanting to hurt her feelings.

Before things could get any weirder, a strong wind blew through an open window and tore the poster out of Gray's hands. The poster flew out the door, and into the street.

Juvia looked towards the door in horror. "I will get that for you, Gray-sama!" and disappeared through the door.

Gray looked at the ceiling. "Thank you, lord!"

()()()()()()()

The picture was being pushed by the wind at full force. Jude was running, desperately trying to catch the last picture that was taken of his daughter.

The picture, fluttering in the wind, flashed Jude a glimpse of his smiling daughter. He slowed to a stop. _I have to let things go… Otherwise this will be the end of me too…_ He watched the picture fly away with the wind; his spirits dampening.

"Juvia's poster!" someone to his left shouted. The heavy footsteps were getting closed, and closer…

'WHAM'

Juvia ran right into Jude, tackling him. She had the poster in one hand, and the other hand was pushing Jude's face out of her boobs.

"Someone! Help Juvia!" She yelled in horror.

Jude, unable to say anything, stared at the blue-nette. He was shocked at her clumsiness.

Juvia untangled herself from Jude, and offered a hand to him. "Juvia's sorry! She was just trying to catch this." She said, flaunting her rolled up poster. "The wind swept up Juvia's poster from her darling Gray's hands, and Juvia chased it down for him!" She helped Jude to his feet.

 _Juvia? Is she referring to herself? What an odd speech pattern…_

"Juvia was giving this gift to Gray-sama, so she could win him over from an unwelcome outsider. Juvia doesn't know where she came from, but she showed up injured, and won Gray-sama over…" She said evilly, obviously talking to herself now.

Jude dropped to his knees. Juvia, not expecting this, jumped back with a jolt.

"D-d-oes she h-have blond-hair?" He asked, in a quiet whisper.

Juvia stared down at the man on her knees.

"How do you know what Juvia's rival looks like?!" She asked in confusion.

"Because…" He looked into her eyes.

"That's my daughter…"

()()()()()()()


	11. Sh'It' Happens

_**Hello Dear readers!**_

 _ **Due to multiple requests, I have decided to finish this story! So, thank you for the wait, and enjoy some more Pink Haired Desperation!**_

* * *

 _ **Sh 'It' Happens**_

Natsu peeked down at the now-sleeping Lucy.

As she was crying in Natsu's arms, she wore herself out and fell asleep using his stomach as a pillow. Natsu, letting her do so, didn't have the heart to move her. She's been through a lot, and if she needs to hold someone while she sleeps to know she's not alone, he would let her.

Plus, this gives him an excuse to cuddle with his crush.

 _Man, her hair smells so good…_ Natsu thought to himself. _Oh, wait, smelling her hair is kind of a pervy thing to do…_

He looked upon he blonde's hair; it was sleek and shiny.

Natsu gently moved his hand to the back of Lucy's head, not wanting to wake the girl. He slowly let his fingers slip into her hair, and began slowly stroking her head. This caused Lucy to move a bit in her sleep, and he froze. _Crap, did I wake her up?!_ Natsu peered down at her face. Lucy was smiling in her sleep now trying to snuggle her face into his abs even more. _Oh, she likes it. In that case…_ He went back to brushing the sleeping-blonde's hair with his fingers.

This gesture put Lucy into a deep sleep, and made Natsu finally realize that he was exhausted.

 _Maybe I'll close my eyes just for a little while…_ Natsu thought, not resisting the temptation.

He closed his eyes, and sleep welcomed him with open arms.

()()()()()()()

Jude stood up.

"Where is my daughter? If I don't get straight answers, you'll be sorry." He threatened, looking at the frightened girl.

Juvia stepped back, carefully watching him. "As if Juvia would tell a person like you." She remarked, crossing her arms in front of her. "Juvia's friend, Happy, warned us about you. He said you were the one to hurt the girl, and he told us to never bring you to her." Juvia remarked, glaring at the man.

Jude looked toward the ground. "How bad is she?" He asked, desperately wanting to know what he did to her.

This question took Juvia by surprise. She lowered her guard a bit, looking down at the man. "Juvia heard that you cut the top of her hand, causing her to nearly bleed to death. You shouldn't even be allowed to call yourself a father, Juvia thinks."

Jude froze. He glanced up at her, sporting an evil grin. "As if I cared what a wench like you would think. I guess I'll have to teach you some manners, miss."

Juvia rose her arms up to block the attack, but she was too late.

Jude's fist connected with Juvia's jaw; and she collapsed in a heap onto the ground.

()()()()()()()

Gray had noticed that Juvia was taking too long to come back.

After all, this is Juvia we're talking about. She would have chased the poster and brought it back with gusto; just to impress him. There was no way that the wind would have taken the poster that far.

That's why Gray was wandering the streets, looking for the blue-haired girl. _That chick has problems…_ Gray thought to himself. _Even so, she's never failed to find me before…So where has she disappeared to now?_

He turned the corner, heading in the direction of the main square. Gray was currently making his way through the park, and approaching his way to the little area with the fountain. _By now, she would've sniffed me out…_

He walked past the Sola Tree in South Gate Park, and saw something by the fountain that caused him to stop in his tracks.

()()()()()()()


	12. Small Dark Places

**_Hello there! This is Yuki-Chan speaking. Is this thing on?! *taps megaphone* Oh, Ok! Anyways, I wanted to thank all of my supporters who have been reading this story since I started writing it. It's because of you guys that I am continueing to write this today. So,_**

 ** _Senpai thanks you._**

 ** _-Yuki-Senpai :3_**

* * *

 ** _Small Dark Places_**

Gray fell to his knees, tears threatening to fall from his eyes at any moment. His hands slowly reached downward to pick up the small object at his feet.

It was Juvia's hat.

Only, it was smeared with blood.

Gray looked around the fountain area, desperately searching for someone who witnessed what happened here. But no one seemed to have seen anything.

 _Who would do such a thing?_ Gray thought, anger building up inside of him. _Juvia is a kind, and harmless person…what mother fucker would beat her up and kidnap her?!_ He peered down at the hat in his hands. The blue fur was a sort of purple now, the red blood battling for dominance over the blue fabric.

 _Whoever did this…_ gray clenched the hat in his fist… _Is gonna PAY!_

()()()()()()()

Natsu opened his eyes. The room was really bright. So bright, in fact, that he had to snap his eyelids close as soon as he had opened them. _Where am I?!_ He thought, groggily. Wherever he was, it was warm, and comfortable.

He opened his eyes again, slower than he did the first time. He did not want to experience the blinding lights a second time.

He squinted, and the room slowly came into focus. He was in the hospital wing of the guild. _How'd I end up here?_ He questioned himself.

A blinding ray of light made its way into his eyes once again, so he sat there with his eyes closed, no longer trusting the fluorescent bulbs hovering above him.

 _I didn't get drunk and pass out again did I?_ He thought back to a couple of weeks ago, where he had a drinking contest with Cana…Big mistake. Natsu ended up losing by a landslide and fell to the ground puking his guts out. It wasn't a pretty sight. Afterwards, Mirajane had to drag his sorry ass to the hospital wing and lay him on a mattress to sleep.

Although, the only thing he could do was puke.

 _Nah, I don't remember a huge Booze-Fest ever happening…_ He yawned, and took a long, drawn-in breath. _What's this smell?_ He thought to himself, taking in another whiff from the air. It smelled faintly like strawberries; Natsu's favorite fruit. _Maybe a window is open or something…_ He clenched his fist a little, trying to stretch out his arms. _What the- what is this?_ He clenched his fist a little more. Something warm and squishy was in-between his fingers. He opened his eyes forcefully, looked past the searing pain from the light, and peered at his side. His eyes raked over his arm until they fell upon her….

Lucy was still asleep on his stomach.

And his hand….

His hand…..was directly on her boob.

He stared at his hand for a moment, until he felt his face flush a bright crimson and he let go of the squishy flesh.

Lucy squirmed a little bit in her sleep due to the instant cold on her chest as soon as his hand left.

 _SHIT!_ Natsu screamed in his head. _I FORGOT ABOUT HER!_

His other arm was draped around her shoulders, which pulled her into his abs. He quickly lifted it off of the girl, and Natsu sat there, both arms in the air, staring down into sleeping Lucy's face. _What do I do? How do I get up without waking her?!_ He scanned his eyes around the room, searching for something that would aid in his escape from the awkward situation. A pillow laid to his right. The only thing is…..

It was under her boob.

He slowly reached his hand over to the pillow, his face bright red, and grabbed the white object. His hand slowly tickled her flesh, which made him stop in his tracks. Natsu's face turned bright red as he gently pulled the pillow towards him. He watched as the pillow caused Lucy's boob to slide over the surface. He then looked away, angry at himself for being such a pervert. _Why does Lucy have to be so god damn beautiful…?_ He slowly pulled the pillow out from underneath her and slid it between them. Then, he quietly slipped out of her clutch and sat up on the bed. He turned to take another peek at the sleeping girl. She had snuggled up with the pillow now. _She looks like an angel…_ Natsu thought to himself, drooling a tad bit. He snapped out of his daze and wandered down stairs to the guild hall, careful to shut the door behind him quietly as to not wake her.

Just as he made it down stairs, Gray came busting in through the main doors of the guild hall.

Gray looked around and met Natsu's eyes.

He was crying.

Natsu instantly filled with worry as he ran over to the ice mage. "Gray! What's the matter with you-" he was cut off by the ice mage, for gray had shoved something into his hands.

It was Juvia's hat.

Only, it was covered in blood.

()()()()()()()

Juvia groaned at the pressure on her wrists. She had been dangling for hours now, the anti-magic cuffs on her wrists attached to the wall. She was strapped against the far wall of the small, dark room. She doesn't remember how she got here though. She only faintly remembered confronting Lucy's father…

And the rest was a blur.

Her breathing became slightly shallower. _I have to get out of here! Wherever here is…_ She thought with worry. Juvia looked around the cold, musty room, trying to find anything that could be of use to aid in her escape. The only thing that could be seen, though, was a small chair.

On it, laid a small pocket knife.

And it glowed crimson in the small amount of light in the room.

()()()()()()()

Natsu looked down at the object in his hands. It was Juvia's alright. But why is it covered in blood?

"Gray." Natsu put his hands on gray's shoulders. Gray refused to acknowledge him, he was still crying and upset. "GRAY!" Natsu shouted, giving him a shake. This brought Gary to his senses, and he looked up at the fire mage. "What happened? Where's Juvia? Why is her hat covered in blood?" Gray only sat there, shaking. He managed to choke out a few words; "Juvia…chased a poster…never came back…found on sidewalk….kidnapped…."

Nastu flinched at these words. _Kid….Kidnapped?_ He glanced at the hat, now lying on the floor.

Gary only sat there, sobbing, having shared the awful news.

It always hurts more when you say it out loud….

Natsu grabbed the hat and stood up.

He held the blue hat in the air, clenched in his determined fist. He looked around the room at the shocked faces of his comrades.

"YOU MESS WITH ONE OF US, YOU MESS WITH ALL OF US!" He shouted, peering around him.

"YEAH!" Everyone else shouted.

Gray looked up at Natsu, the tears coming to a stop.

"Th..thank you…." He choked out.

()()()()()()()

Juvia struggled once again, determined to break out of the clasps confining her to the wall.

As she began her pointless struggle, a small 'creak' came from a door in front of her.

Juvia froze, staring at the dark corner in fear.

Jude stepped out of the shadows, and eerie smile crept on his face. Juvia knew all too well what this expression was.

This is the look of bloodlust.

Jude slowly crept towards the chair in the center of the room, his footsteps echoing through the cramped cellar. Juvia's eyes followed his every move; which foot stepped first, his hands beginning to roll up his sleeves.

The smile still on his lips.

"It's nice to see that you're finally awake, Juvia Lockser."

"How-how did you know my-"

Jude picked up the chair and slammed it down in front of her. This caused Juvia to jump in shock at the sudden outburst.

"I'm the one asking questions here!" He snapped.

Juvia gulped, and stared down at the man.

Jude picked up the small knife and put it in his pocket. He glanced at the girl on the wall as he finished rolling up his sleeves.

()()()()()()()

* * *

 **Wow. I never realized how much of a jerk I was, until I created this monster of a cliffhanger... DON'T HATE ME! Anyways, thanks for reading! Don't forget tp leave a comment below with your thoughts. I don't have a life, so I will be constantly checking in case one of you does. See you next chapter!**

 **-Yuki-Chan**


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